Mac Pro 8-Core - Slow, spinning ball, more...

I have a new Mac Pro 8-Core. Equipped with 2x500GB drives, 4GB RAM, X1990 Video Card, Airport/Bluetooth, etc...
I use many apps, CS3, mail, safari, FTP, Coda, and more, all day, everyday. The problem I am having is about performance. I replaced a dual core G5 with 8GB RAM with this one, and my G5 hardly ever gave me the spinning 'wait-for-it' ball, yet this one seems plaqued with it. Simply put, this machine is wicked slow, clumsy, and not at all what I expected. I have done the usual fix-its, including reinstalling the OS and even wiping the drive completely and installing the OS. Is it me, or is it this 8-Core?
I'd like to know if any other owners of the 8-Core have similar issues, or issues at all.
Thank you in advance for any responses to this post. Before taking this up with AppleCare I'd like to have some others experiences so I don't look like a fool when I do call.
Mac Pro 8-Core - MBP 17" Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Thank you, some very helpful hints as to what might be causing this. Here are some responses you might be interested in. Letters respond to each of your suggestions.
A. - Probably. I'm watching RAM prices every day. I just don't have $400 to spend on RAM with the iPhone coming next month.
B. - I never use this, so that can't be the problem.
C. - Will look into this some more....Thanks, never heard this before now.
D. - Agreed. I wish there were an easy way to list everything running in Rosetta.
E. - The issues do remain when NOT running any CS3 apps, as for dedicated scratch drive, I've been thinking about this. But even more, I've been hearing a LOT about those fast 75GB 10k SATA drives (forget the name though)... seems a lot of people are using these as their boot drive. Any thoughts?
F. - See above
G. - Will do, thanks!
H. - Done that... no issues found, so far.
I. - Not sure how to access this... however, here are some numbers from Activity Monitor. Do these make sense to you?
VM SIZE: 13.47GB (this seems to grow as more apps are opened)
Page In/Outs: 54378/0
Of course, right this second I'm only typing in Safari, everything else is idle.
What concerns me, and I don't know if it should, is the size of the VM. Thinking years back I thought that if you had enough RAM you wouldn't use any Virtual Memory. Is this still the case? Would more RAM decrease the VM size in a new Mac?
Also, I have 2 1TB OWC FW800 hard drives hooked up to my Mac. These are 2 disks each, 500GB each drive, set up in RAID 1. Each drive (WD) has 16MB of cache, so accessing these drives "should" be fast. However, any time, and I mean any time, I try to access one of these drives my computer takes at least 10 full seconds to display the contents of the drives, I get the spinning ball and I cannot do anything else while the computer tries to list the contents and open the drive. Is this to be expected?
Thanks for the help, I truly appreciate it.

Similar Messages

Mac Pro 8-core slow compression on MPEGs

My Mac Pro 8-core with 9GB of RAM is very slow compared to my G5 Dual 2.7GHz with 2.5GB on doing MPEGs... the problem only exist with MPEGs in Compressor 3 or 3.0.1. All other formats the Mac Pro gives the G5 a thrashing. I've read in here that many people have it the other way around.. that MPEGs are supposedly more multiprocessor capable.
Both with using virtual clusters (4 instances) and no virtual clusters I'm getting around 52 minutes on a DVCPRO HD 720/24p clip which is exactly 6 minutes in length. The G5 dual 2.7GHz with 2.5GB of RAM did this job in 21 minutes and 33 seconds.
On the Mac Pro I've erased my system and reinstall with just FCS2 on the system... still the same speeds. I've taken out the 2x4GB sticks.. still the same speeds. I've moved the 6 minute clip onto different volumes still the same problem. I've tried other DVCPRO HD clips.. still the same.
The problem only happens with the DVD 90-150 presets regardless of quality. Does not occur with the HD DVD presets or H.264.
Mac Pro configuration:
Mac Pro 3GHz 8 core
9GB of RAM (2x512mb, 2x4GB)
ATI Radeon X1900 XT with dual 30 inch ACDs
3TB of internal Hard Drive storage... one unraided 750GB for system files.. 3 RAID 0 for Scratch.
AJA KONA LHe capture card
Runiing Final Cut Studio 2 with compressor 3.0.1
G5 configuration:
Power Mac G5 Dual 2.7GHz
2.5GB of RAM (2x256MB, 4x512MB)
NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL with 23" ACD
250GB + 160GB internal Hard Drives.
Running final Cut Studio 2 with Compressor 3.0.1
Any help would be appreciated... I've tried everything in my technical powers to solve this one.

Made a new DVD: MPEG-2 custom setting with an average bit rate of 7.7Mbps... still slow... about 50 minutes to complete the 6 minute DVCPRO HD 720/24p clip. The compressor daemons are averaging around 60MB of Real Memory and 450MB of virtual memory. I really think this lack of memory usage is causing the problem. This only happens on the DVD 90-150 MPEG-2 presets. Any other format is grabbing at least 200MB per daemon... including HD DVD MPEG-2 and DVD MPEG-1. I will continue to test different settings and pray for a change.
Getting all compressord (Not Responding) for each 4 instances in the virtual cluster when I run the DVD 90-150 MPEG-2 presets. The batch monitor is still reporting progress. Real memory usage fluctuating in the 60's per daemon and around 450MB's for Virtual Memory. Compressor daemons not responding is a problem solely on the DVD 90-150 MPEG-2 presets.
No major difference in speed between CBR or VBR custom presets... memory usage still in the 60's per compressor daemon.
With Job Segmenting turned off & One Pass CBR... 20 minutes to job completion. The memory usage is around 65MB of Real Memory and 450MB of Virtual Memory. CPU activity on the one active compressor daemon is averaging around 460%.
One thing I am learning is that processor activity as reported by Activity Monitor is not a reflection of speed.
Message was edited by: Trancepriest
Message was edited by: Trancepriest

Slow Performance On Mac Pro 12-Core

Hello Everyone,
I just recently purchased a 2012 Mac pro 12-Core and i have been getting unbelievabley slow performance with it. I am using Premiere Pro CS6 and it seems that the footage can sometimes get a bit laggy at times and not play back smoothly, sometimes rendering can take a bit of time as well. However here are the specs of my system:
Mac Pro 12-Core 2.4GHz (2.67GHz Turbo Boost)
40GB of Ram
ATI 5770 Graphics Card
1TB scratch disk (with a user on the drive that i can boot into)
OCZ 120GB Vertex 3 SSD OS/APPS drive
First question i would like to get answered once and for all.. Did i make a bad decision by purchasing a computer with such a slow clock speed (2.4GHz)?? I figured since The new editing software is switching to 64bit it shouldn't depend on clock speed anymore? (i just want to be sure that i purchased a more than capable machine) However i will be buying a Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB SSD Drive for Scratch within the month. (I dont have the budget to buy a Raid controller yet to utilize 6GB/s transfer speeds, so 1 Fast SSD drive will have to do for now)
I should mention the current SSD drive im on right now only has 13GB remaining, would that affect performance? Also, my 1Tb media drive is filled up with CRAP from my previous computer (Migration transferred EVERYTHING to that drive, only 120GB remains) would that drive with the media im working with affect performance too? Also just as a test, i took some footage from my GoPro Hero 3 camera and put it on my SSD to see if that would eliminate the lag, but still lag was present in Premiere.. (the footage was in a crappy .M4P format, so that may have affected it, but I dont know)
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
-Thanks in Advance!

The new editing software is switching to 64bit it shouldn't depend on clock speed anymore?
Wrong, clock speed is everything.
I should mention the current SSD drive im on right now only has 13GB remaining, would that affect performance?
No, not really.
Also, my 1Tb media drive is filled up with CRAP from my previous computer (Migration transferred EVERYTHING to that drive, only 120GB remains) would that drive with the media im working with affect performance too?
When fill rates go up, performance goes down. With almost 90% fill rate, the disk performs only at around 50% of a new disk.
Two disks is absolute bare minimum, and your cores will constantly be waiting for the disks to read or write data, sitting idle most of the time.
Also just as a test, i took some footage from my GoPro Hero 3 camera and put it on my SSD to see if that would eliminate the lag, but still lag was present in Premiere..
GoPro material requires a very fast computer, which yours is not with the low clock speed, outdated E5620 CPU's, only two disks, and a non-CUDA capable video card.
Take a look at the PPBM5 Benchmark and look at the system at rank # 854, which is a MacPro, very similar to your system, dual E5620, AMD video card, less memory but uses three disks.
So, your system would be around the same rank as the one above, among the slowest 25% of all systems and something like 10 - 15 times slower than a fast system. You tax your system to the extreme with the GoPro Hero3 material, and the consequence is the slow performance you see.
Sorry, not much you can do, other than get a new system. If you sell it now, it may get you a price, good enough to get a much faster Windows system and maybe even keep the change. Simply said, you bought a MacPro for € 3.5 K, sell it for € 3 K, buy a PC for € 2.5 K that is around 5-6 times faster and your loss is recovered.
However i will be buying a Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB SSD Drive for Scratch within the month
What a pity the MacPro does not have SATA 6G ports, only SATA 3G, because then that SSD will run at almost half speed.

After effects performance issues on mac pro 12-core

Hello everyone,
I feel as if i keep making similar posts to this, but for some reason i am still not satisfied with my machine. Im using a mac pro 12-core 2.4GHz with 40gigs of ram installed and a ATI Radeon 5770 graphics card.
I finally got around to getting my SSD set up and i have all of my applications installed on it along with the OS. i also have all of my cache files set to my WD hard drive so I'm not clogging up my 120GB SSD. My SSD has 40gigs left so i figure i shouldn't go any lower than that to keep the performance of the drive at its fullest potential.
I do a lot of work in after effects CS6 and i feel that the machine is still going slow.. I was working on a project last night and when i went to do a RAM preview i kept getting the beach ball and after effects would glitch up.. what would be the main cause of this? could it have been that the destination file i was working with was on my WD drive and not the SSD?
I don't know what it is i need to keep adding to this machine to finally be satisfied with its performance.. My next investment would most likely be a GTX 570 to enable CUDA cores for open GL rendering, but i still feel that i should still be getting great performance now.
Any suggestions? maybe I'm doing something wrong?
Thanks in advance!

Rick is talking about After Effects Multiprocessing. You can turn it off and on here:
Also, you've only reserved 3 GB out of 40 GB for other applications. Other apps on your computer also need memory to work and setting this number so low could cause these apps to fight with After Effects over the available memory causing AE to slow down. I would suggest starting with that number a lot higher, possibly around 10 GB. Then do a bunch of render tests to see what the best settings are for your machine.
I also highly recommend watching the "Using 'Render Multiple Frames Simultaneously' Multiprocessing" tutorial by Adobe employee Todd Kopriva on Video2Brain for more information. If you really want to learn more about getting the best performance in AE, I would go through the rest of the After Effects & Premiere Pro Performance Workshop. You'll learn a lot.

Windows – but Which? (What to install on Mac Pro Quad Core?)

First, apologies in advance if this seems like repetition of a recent topic, but I read through the recent "Vista vs XP" thread and it didn't quite answer my questions.
Basically, I'm planning on buying a Mac Pro "Quad Core" 2.8 and installing Boot Camp and a Windows OS startup. This puts me into the notoriously tricky area of picking the right version of Windows for my needs, something I haven't really had to deal with in regards to OS X.
Basically, I'm not looking for something with too many bells and whistles or to much bloatware built into the OS. Also, I'll probably be using some older software/shareware, so backwards compatibility is an issue. On the other hand, I'd like something that works with the Quad Core architecture at its greatest efficiency.
This means I'm wondering about a couple of features that I may or may not need, and it would be of great help if you folks could point me in the right direction regarding these:
x64 – Since the Xeon processors in the Mac Pro are 64-bit processors, am I better off with "x64"-compatible versions of Windows (either Windows Vista or x64 versions of XP)? Will this cause problems starting up older programs that may not have been written for x64?
*Dual Processor Support* – the Quad Core, of course, is a dual processor – will I get better performance from a version of Windows that list "Dual Processor Support" among its features (basically, the "pro", "business", or "ultimate" versions of XP and Vista)?
If I need those features, I'm probably looking at getting either the x64 version of Windows XP Pro or the Business or Ultimate versions of Vista. However, I'm leaning against Vista based on backwards-compatibility and bloatware issues. That leaves XP Pro x64, but I might go for a more basic version of XP if I find out the x64 or DPS features aren't actually something I need. (The other "extras" in XP Pro don't sound like anything I need.)
Also, I'm likely to install Parallel Desktop at some point and don't want a version of Windows that would have compatibility problems there, either.
Anyway, any answers you folks can provide for me in this regard would be very helpful.
Thanks in advance,
Peter

Truth is, I am disappointed in VMware Fusions slow walk toward full support for 64-bit and SP1 but 2.0 beta is getting there. Never used Parallels but best to check their own support forums. They also updated the 1.x version recently.
http://communities.vmware.com/community/beta/fusion
http://forums.parallels.com/
You don't need anything first, except I would start with a new hard drive for Vista, don't even do anything with it and pull OS X drive, boot Vista DVD and go from there, just as you would normally. Much easier. After it is installed is when you need Apple BootCamp from your Leopard OEM DVD, install, and then Apple Software Update will take care of 2.1. And install your graphic drivers yourself.
The problem(s) come with trying to use BootCamp Assist and setting up partitioning, and it only makes it harder - not easier - on Mac Pro (you aren't and don't want to use your OS X boot drive).
Windows on Mac forum @ MacRumors
http://forums.macrumors.com/forumdisplay.php?f=86
And their Mac Pro area http://forums.macrumors.com which has a lot of Vista talk from Mac Pro owners.
The only real issues are which graphics card to get today or in next weeks, what drives you are going with and other upgrades like memory (8 x 1GB is actually a good base ideal figure so all DIMM slots are taken up).
Barefeats has a number of benchmark articles:
Radeon 3870: http://www.hardmac.com/news/2008-06-16/#8451
Vista graphics: http://www.barefeats.com/harper11.html
Memory: http://www.barefeats.com/harper12.html
Drives: http://www.barefeats.com/harper9.html
WD 300GB Raptor: http://www.barefeats.com/hard103.html
- this is the drive to die for, but not natively supported
I buy most of the upgrades I need over the last ten years from OWC http://www.MacSales.com that specializes in Mac.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Mac-Pro-Memory
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Western%20Digital/WD6400AAKS/
- until the WD "Black" series (I guess Blackbird name or SR71 are already taken) along with 3rd generation of their RE series drives. WD has been popular, reliable, with Mac Pro for last two years. Can't say the same of every vendor. Samsung F1 is also a real winner.
If you buy only one book to understand and get the most out of OS X: "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual" (Pogue has a Missing Manual Series on most everything, and this is the most popular recommended for Mac OS).
http://books.slashdot.org/books/08/02/27/1551206.shtml
I needed 3-4 for Vista before I found "Administrator's Pocket Consultant" and O'Reilly's "Vista Annoyances" are both excellent along with MS Press's "Inside Out."

Mac Pro 8-Core (2011) MC561ZP/A Upgrade

I bought my Mac Pro 8 Core MC561ZP/A (2 x 2.4GHZ Quad-Core Intel Xeon "Westmere") in January 2011 in a hurry. Hence memory was kept as 6 x 1GB, and graphics card is the original ATI Radeon HD5770 with 1GB GDDR5. I use it to run the Apple 30" Cinema Display and I am a Photographer. Applications that I use all the time are Capture One 5.0, Photoshop CS5, Bridge CS5, Firefox, iTunes, Parellels 6, Outlook on Parellels 6. And when i am editing, I will be running Final Cut Pro 6 and Compressor as well when all photo related softwares are closed. And that's about it.
I usually use my Canon 5DII Camera and I work with 25mb raw images / 60mg TIFF images most of the time. Sometimes I work with medium format Phase One images but that is not very often. At the beginning things were ok. As the projects get bigger and bigger I find myself retouching big photos will many layers that one file could go up to 1GB or 1.5GB. At some point I only had Capture One and Photoshop opened, and still things got really slow and it started crashing few weeks earlier.
It's about time for an updgrade. Questions that I have now are:
1) Memory. Is 12GB memory enough? Or will I need more? Since I have 6x1GB in the slots, what is the best way or most economically friendly way to upgrade? Things will run smoother and faster I assume?
2) Memory brands. Is there many brands I can choose from?
3) Graphics Card. Will things be significantly better (faster?) if I get one more ATI Radeon HD5770? Or should i switch to the ATI Radeon HD 5870? My 30" apple cinema display is more than 3 years old already. I might consider siwthcing to a 24" Eizo or a 27" inch Eizo fyi.
Even if so will it be enough for my use?
I decided then I should opt for the 8 core. Instead of the quad core, nor the 12-core. I hope I didn't make the wrong decision.
Many thanks in advance.
Cheers,
Tim

Thanks.
Buying 2x8gb ram to fill up the remaining 2 slots sounds like the plan.
For hard disks, currently I have 3 x 2TB and 2 x 4TB, all connected through Firewire800 and each running Raid 1 (Mirror) on their own. I have always wondered about the speed difference when compared to your internal suggestion. Do you have any data / recommendation for a read up?
Guess I will stick to the ATI Radeon HD5770 then..
Cheers,
Tim

UPGRADING AND MIXING MEMORY ON MY MAC PRO QUAD CORE DUAL 2.8 (Xeon)?

Hello,
I have a Mac Pro Quad Core Dual 2.8GHz (Xeons) with 4GB of memory (2 x 1GB Apple modules + 2 x 1GB other brand - Shown as "Manufacturer 0x855D") and now I want to fill the other 4 memory slots by adding an additional 16GB (4 x 4GB modules) for a total of 20GB of RAM.
My 2 questions are:
1.- In which order/pattern should I install these new 4 X 4GB modules along with my original Apple 2 x 1GB modules and the "Manufacturer 0x855D" 2 x 1GB modules the best way (for better performance)? - I have heard stories that if I do it improperly, I could slow down my Mac Pro...
This is how I have them configured right now:
Raiser A / DIMM 1 = 1GB (Manufaturer "0x830B") - I assume this is the Apple memory, right?
Raiser A / DIMM 2 = 1GB (Manufaturer "0x830B")
Raiser A / DIMM 3 = Empty
Raiser A / DIMM 4 = Empty
Raiser B / DIMM 1 = 1GB (Manufacturer "0x855D") - How can I find which manufacturer is this?
Raiser B / DIMM 2 = 1GB (Manufacturer "0x855D")
Raiser B / DIMM 3 = Empty
Raiser B / DIMM 4 = Empty
2.- What brand would be most compatible to work with my Apple 2GB (2 x 1GB) factory memory? Kingston? Crucial? Mushkin? iRam? Corsair? OWC? (Does OWC sell their own brand? or which one do they carry?-its not specified on their web)
Thank you so much in advance for all your help!

About RAM installation in the Mac Pro
Mac Pro memory arrangement photos
Mac Pro Memory Configuration
Memory Tests- "2008" Mac Pro
Ram should be installed minimally in matched pairs and optimally in matched quads. This means the memory modules are the same size and specifications. They should also be equipped with the Apple-certified style of heat sink.
Brand really doesn't mean much as long as they work.

Mac Pro Quad core Intel Xeon upgrade advice please!

Hi all, i have a Mac Pro Quad core 2 x 2.8ghz Intel Xeon (2008 model) with 4gb RAM.
I am planning on giving it some upgrades and a fresh OS install as it is slowly grinding to a halt (particualrly noisey hard drives)
Can anyone recommend best/fastest/silent! S-ATA hard drive to upgrade to?
Can anyone recommend a good replacement ATAPI DL DVD-RW Drive as mine is also on its way out.
Ram upgrade. Lots of space for RAM so what would you all recommend?
Ultimately i am finding myself working with alot of large PS file and so would welcome any suggestions to improve/soup-up the processor/performance.
Thanks for any advice in advance...

24GB RAM gets cost ly when you look at 800MHz FBDIMMs in 2x4GB
You shoudl have added more as 4GB is vary basic and miinimal
Any SATA drive device is fine. WD Black 1-2-4TB / WD 10K VRs are fast but not as quiet though I do hear those WD Blacks.
A single SSD for a system is nice.
10.6.8 works best in that system.
Your GPU most probably is in need of an upgrade.
You should never need to do a reinstall of the OS. Clone. Yes. And start wit h a new OS by not upgrade in place over the old OS but that is when to clean install, clone and use Set up Assis tant.

HT1338 hi what antivirus is best in macbook pro???and may mac pro is go slow?

hi what antivirus is best in macbook pro???and may mac pro is go slow?

Forget about viruses, and don't install Sophos, which is worthless.
First, back up all data immediately, as your boot drive might be failing.
One possible cause of a slow user interface is a large number of image or video files on the Desktop with preview icons. If you have more than a dozen or so such files, move them to another folder.
Otherwise, take these steps when you notice the problem.
Step 1
Launch the Activity Monitor application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Activity Monitor in the icon grid.
Select the CPU tab of the Activity Monitor window.
Select All Processes from the menu in the toolbar, if not already selected.
Click the heading of the % CPU column in the process table to sort the entries by CPU usage. You may have to click it twice to get the highest value at the top. What is it, and what is the process? Also post the values for % User, % System, and % Idle at the bottom of the window.
Select the System Memory tab. What values are shown in the bottom part of the window for Page outs and Swap used?
Next, select the Disk Activity tab. Post the approximate values shown for Reads in/sec and Writes out/sec (not Reads in and Writes out.)
Step 2
You must be logged in as an administrator to carry out this step.
Launch the Console application in the same way as above. Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left.
Post the 50 or so most recent messages in the log — the text, please, not a screenshot.
When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.
Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into a message.
Important: Some personal information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Edit it out before posting.

Switching an old dual 1.8 to a new mac pro 8 core questions

hi
Tomorrow i am getting a new Mac Pro 8 core 2.8, the basic model, 2 gigs ram (for now) and the on 320 gig HD. I am not a great mac person, i used my old one for some final cut express stuff and that was about it. so i was wondering if someone could answer these questions for me
1) will final cut HD load fine on the new one in terms of licenses? in that, will that license or serial number i have used on the old one be ok on the new one?
- same things for aperture, these are really the only 2 programs i have and really need on the new one, till i move up to final cut full
2) i have an older "projects" western digital HD with the projects, pics etc on it, can i swap that HD into one of the new slots till i get another newer drive? its sata, but i am not sure what speed?? its probably 3 years old now
3) what exactly does the new mac pro come with?? in the apple store it really doesn't go into it, i have ilife 05 on my old one, is it worth getting the new one? does it come with things like that?
4) i mainly do home movie's and video editing on my mac, if i end up with final cut studio 2 i think it is, what is the recommended RAM?
5) where is the best place to buy more RAM and HD's for the mac? i will need or want 3 more 500 gig min, 7200 speed drives and probably 2-6gigs more ram.
ok, that should confuse me pretty well for a while
thanks for any help!

1. As long as the software is not installed on more than one CPU you are not in violation of the software license. You will use the same serial number.
2. Any SATA drive can be installed in the computer.
3. New computers come with OS X and iLife pre-installed. Also trial versions of iWork, MS Office, and Quicken's Quick Books.
4. I would recommend at least 4 GBs of RAM.
5. You can buy RAM from any online vendor that has the proper type of RAM with the proper heat sinks. Suitable vendors are Data Mem and MacSales.com. Hard drives are available at any number of online vendors such as:
MacSales.com
Buy.com
NewEgg.com

IMac 27" or Mac Pro Quad-Core?

Hello all,
I understand that this topic has been covered before although I am still unsure and I am looking for some help please!
I am currently looking into purchasing a new computer to complete my architectural post-graduate degree. I currently use a PC, which I have done so for many years and initially I was thinking about buying a customisable Dell XPS sticking to using PC’s. Having recently been sent an email from Apple regarding student discounts offered on the Mac range I thought I'd look into getting an Apple having heard nothing but praise and also that it can also run Windows XP (via ‘Bootcamp’). This would mean I would effectively get 2 “computers” for the price of one, however, after hours of research, scrolling through web pages I am torn between the Mac Pro Quad-Core and the iMac 27” (Intel i7) !
I mainly use Microstation V8/AutoCAD, Maxwell Render, Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign, SketchUp, etc, and require a computer which can run programs quickly and efficiently, including some rendering. I will be switching between both operating systems, but will heavily use Windows to run most of my software.
I was first hooked onto the iMac due to its sheer simplicity, elegance and also the specification (Intel i7) which was on par with the Dell I was considering. Although reading deeper on various forums, articles, I found that the Mac Pro Quad-Core might be a better alternative for future proofing (IE. Upgradable hardware) but it costs a little bit more than the iMac plus no monitor included. I feel that the iMac will suffice for what I need but I am not sure how about its longevity. I will be using the computer intensely for the next year, however, after I graduate I will see the computer being used casually.
Another question is, if I were to use Bootcamp how would I share drivers (printers and scanners) between both Windows & Mac OSX? Also, when running Windows OS, would I need to install anti-virus software just like a PC?
I am wondering if anybody could shed some light, assistance, experience and guidance to help me with my purchase please.
Many thanks in advance!

I would say a lot of it depends on just how extensively you expect to be using it after you graduate. Either system should carry you through a single year easily, but the Mac Pro obviously has the expandability advantage that will help extend the tail of its useful life.
IMO, a reasonable expectation for an iMac is 2-3 years, while a Mac Pro is 3-4 for the quad core, 4-5 for the 2x4-core, and if you're buying one of those 12-core systems, odds are you're doing some serious number crunching and you'll be replacing the thing pretty quickly.
So, if you think there's a better than 50% chance of needing to keep this computer for a longer than 2-3 years, go for the Mac Pro, otherwise you can get the iMac now and see where life has taken you in 2-3 years.
As for bootcamp... Think of it like dual booting on a PC. Bootcamp does NOT allow you to run both operating systems at the same time, it's one or the other. Think of it like a time share. Programs like VMWare and Parallels let you run Windows in a virtual machine, but odds are you won't want the performance hit the emulation brings with it. So, there's no need to share drivers, because you'll need to install drivers for all hardware on both operating systems. You'll just need to make sure that any hardware you buy will work with both Mac OS X and Windows. When you're running Windows, it's no different from as if you had bought the Dell you were contemplating. Everything you would have done on the Dell as far as security software, you should do on the Mac with bootcamp. Mac OS X doesn't necessarily need AV software (yet), but Windows absolutely does.

FCS 2 -- Mac Pro 4-core or 8-core?

Been reading both the FCP forum and the MacPro forum and still not unsure which way to go.
I'm an avid Avid user (sorry about that) for many years and now making the switch to FCS2. My confusion lies in which configuration to get to best maximize FCS2-- Mac Pro 4-core with maximum RAM or Mac Pro 8-core with 6 or 8 GB RAM? The machine will be used 90% for FCS 2 so that's the main decision-making factor here.
Been reading articles about bottlenecks that make having 8-cores benign, but I find them hard to believe. Either way, the cost is about the same (the $$ saved buying the 4-core would be spent on more RAM).
Thanks for your time and advice.

With FCS the trick to maximising your performance is balance. Getting the balance right between processor performance, GPU performance, RAM and drive performance can often be a tricky thing. Unless you consider your system as a whole, any improvement in one area will often have little value.
At the price of the 8-core upgrade (more than 50% of a whole new one!) I would think you'd get far better value by going with a 3GHz 4-core system and maxing out everything else.

FCS2 - Mac Pro 4-Core or 8-Core

Been reading both the FCP forum and the MacPro forum and still not unsure which way to go.
I'm an avid Avid user (sorry about that) for many years and now making the switch to FCS2. My confusion lies in which configuration to get to best maximize FCS2-- Mac Pro 4-core with maximum RAM or Mac Pro 8-core with 6 or 8 GB RAM? The machine will be used 90% for FCS 2 so that's the main decision-making factor here.
Been reading articles about bottlenecks that make having 8-cores benign, but I find them hard to believe. Either way, the cost is about the same (the $$ saved buying the 4-core would be spent on more RAM).
Thanks for your time and advice.

If you become a "power user" i.e. running more than one app at a time all the time.... The 8 processor machine will be faster than the quad... if not, they'll be similar in speed.
See: http://www.barefeats.com Rob there comes up with much the same conclusion. There are certain apps though that really shine on the octo... AE for example... and Certainly Compressor 3... big time...
I'd go with the faster machine figuring Leopard will make a big difference in the way it handles mulitple processor machines.
Jerry

Adding new hard drive to Mac Pro (quad core)

I've just ordered a new Mac Pro quad core (2.66 GHz) with one GB HD. Since Apple is charging £240 for a second drive I decided to get it from somewhere else. I found a 1GB Western Digital Caviar Green but I also noticed 1GB WD Caviar Black. I wonder if anybody has any experience of those drives and would they work with the latest Mac Pro ?
Does anybody knows what make of drive is Apple using in their latest Mac Pros ?
Tom

*WD Caviar Black 640GB*
HD Tune: WDC WD6401AALS-00L3B2 Benchmark
Transfer Rate Minimum : 59.1 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Maximum : 118.1 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Average : 96.4 MB/sec
Access Time : 11.8 ms
Burst Rate : 125.3 MB/sec
*Black Caviar 1TB:*
HD Tune: WDC WD1001FALS-00J7B Benchmark
Transfer Rate Minimum : 53.9 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Maximum : 108.7 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Average : 86.1 MB/sec
Access Time : 12.9 ms
Burst Rate : 111.5 MB/sec
+(note the slower average to the smaller 640GB model)+
*Green Power 1TB*
HD Tune: WDC WD10EADS-00L5B1 Benchmark
12-23-2008
Transfer Rate Minimum : 41.6 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Maximum : 95.6 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Average : 74.3 MB/sec
Access Time : 14.0 ms
Burst Rate : 117.2 MB/sec
*WD Caviar Blue 640GB*
HD Tune: WDC WD6400AAKS-00A7B Benchmark
Transfer Rate Minimum : 55.6 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Maximum : 113.3 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Average : 90.2 MB/sec
Access Time : 11.8 ms
Burst Rate : 112.9 MB/sec
the 32MB cache did not make a real or noticeable difference in benchmarks
http://www.barefeats.com/hard112.html

Opinions, Mac pro 12 core or 6 core for video editing?

Hello everyone,
I know that this a most likely a rhetorical question but i currently have a mac pro 12 core 2.4ghz 12 gigs of ram (plan on upgrading to 32 gigs) and a 6 core 3.33ghz 12 gigs of ram. I do a lot of video editing (starting to use Final cut pro X) and i do a lot of visual effects work in Adobe after effects and 3D animaton work in cinema 4d. I am only keeping one of the computers.. what are your guys thoughts? Should i keep the 12 core even tough it has a lower clock speed, or should i keep the 6 core since it has a higher clock speed? I dont mean to ask such a dumb question but i want to hear what your guys thoughts are.
Thanks in advance!

After Effects: http://www.barefeats.com/aecs6.html
If you rely on cpu alone, it may look like it is working, or lagging, or wating, but with the combined power of GPGPU can make all the difference.
Communicating over Quick-Path is okay but Intel knows that they need to up the GT and L3 cache to improve it more. ie, there are times when two 6-core Mac Pros are faster than one 12-core, given the same GHz.
the real reason people bought dual with lower clock was hoping it would do more work, but when you have 3.33GHz a lot of work that cann't be dispatched and is not multi-thread or multicore all benefit.
W3680s are relatively cheap @ $600, you will not find X5600 sets unless you can make your system pay for whatever you throw at it and do so in a year to write it off and pay for doing more projects and more income.
This guy goes kind of crazy with custom setup 12-core 3.33s, 960GB SSD PCIe and 96GB RAM.
More RAM helps some areas but not rendering. So find the bottlenecks or throw everything at the problem and hope.
$1660 a piece X5680 - $1470 on Amazon
http://ark.intel.com/products/47916/Intel-Xeon-Processor-X5680-(12M-Cache-3_33-G Hz-6_40-GTs-Intel-QPI)
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-X5680-Processor-Socket-LGA1366/dp/B003ELYSJQ/
Only if you shop ebay for used parts, and by then whatever Intel and Apple agree on next go round new is a better system solution most of the time than to throw $3000 into an older system. $3k would be another 6-core 3.33 if that helps.

Mac Pro 8-Core - Slow, spinning ball, more...

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